HBA-DMD H.B. 311 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 311
By: Madden
Elections
2/23/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, election polling places require equipment and personnel which
can be very costly to a county with precincts with small or no population.
H.B. 311 authorizes the commissioners court of a county to submit
recommendations to the secretary of state concerning the elimination of
county election precincts with small or no population after the precincts
have undergone redistricting. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 42, Election Code, by adding
Section 42.010, as follows: 

Sec. 42.010.  RECOMMENDATION ON ELIMINATION OF LESS POPULOUS PRECINCTS.
(a) Authorizes the commissioners court to submit recommendations to the
secretary of state concerning the elimination of county election precincts
with small or  no population after territorial units of a congressional
district, a state representative district, a state senatorial district, or
a State Board of Education district have undergone redistricting.  
(b) Establishes that the recommendations submitted to the secretary of
state must be submitted in the manner prescribed by the secretary. 

(c) Requires the secretary of state to evaluate all timely submitted
recommendations and to compile those recommendations which the secretary
determines will allow for the elimination of the county election precincts
in a manner consistent with state and federal law. 

(d) Requires the secretary of state to file a report containing the
information described in Subsection (c) with the governor, the lieutenant
governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives, not later than
the date the first regular legislative session convenes after redistricting
of a territorial unit, and if the information submitted is insufficient for
the compilation required, the secretary is required  to include a statement
in the report to that effect. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.